Under the law, the Department of Social Services would help the court in preparing information on how modifications should be made.

The local clerks of court would also be involved, providing information, rules and appropriate forms.

Finally, the bill requires that such cases be heard within 45 days of being filed.

The legislation now heads to the full House for further debate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed a bill by Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, this week that seeks to add some consistency to the various laws regarding the maximum number of days applied to so-called "good-time" jail credits.

In many prisons, inmates are allowed to accumulate "good time" when they follow prison rules, attend classes, participate in work programs and generally stay out of trouble.

Under current law, many inmates can knock 30 to 35 days off of their sentences, depending on their crimes, if they notch a month’s worth of "good time."

Baldone’s House Bill 121 would apply a standard 30-day credit across the board for inmates who behave over the course of a month, or 30 days, with exceptions for prisoners serving time for sex offenses and certain other crimes.

Baldone’s measure now heads to the full Senate next week for what could be its final hearing.

Though the full House and Senate are expected to offer up fiery debates, the House Education Committee recently gave an easy green light to LSU and Southern University to increase tuition and fees for their respective law schools.

Chancellors at both institutions want to dole out more scholarships -- for good reason.

The number of prospective students taking the LSAT statewide is down 30 percent, meaning Louisiana’s law schools are suffering from a plummeting enrollment.

Opponents wonder how increasing the cost of attendance will help, but there are other reasons for the request as well.

Jack Weiss, chancellor of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, said there is a dire need in Baton Rouge for law clinic, which offers on-hand legal experience in a sort of mock law office.

"We’re the only major law school in the South without a clinic," he said.

House Bill 1145 by Rep. Franklin J. Foil, R-Baton Rouge, would increase tuition at LSU by $500 during the first year, then $1,000 and finally $1,500 in year three.

House Bill 1314 by Rep. Michael Jackson, D-Baton Rouge, meanwhile, would raise tuition at Southern by $500 annually during its own three-year period.

The groundwork for Gov. Bobby Jindal’s workforce development plan is still being rolled out.

House Concurrent Resolution 65 seeks a reconfiguration of funding for Louisiana’s community and technical colleges, which are being placed on the frontlines of Jindal’s plan to train the state’s emerging labor market.

Joe May, president of the community college system, said there are more than 100,000 vacant jobs in the state, and everything is in place for his colleges to fill those jobs -- that is, except for the money.

"We’re looking at how to solve that problem and the community and technical college system is seeking to be charged with that responsibility," May added.

The House has endorsed the symbolic increase, which is still to be determined.

The resolution requests that the Board of Regents consider a number of different factors to come up with an adequate increase.

The normal way of doing business for funeral homes may soon be changing.

Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, is pushing legislation that would require an itemized list of all merchandise and services the consumer pays for from funeral directors.

Among the mandates, his Senate Bill 806 calls for all contracts to include a detailed description of the casket being used to prevent unscrupulous "bait and switch" tactics But the real target is so-called "pre-need contracts," which are basically pre-paid funeral arrangements.

Funds that have been set up nationwide to hold the money as interest collects are being drained for nefarious purposes, leaving the dead and their families in the lurch.

The National Funeral Directors Association estimates that more than $30 million in pre-need money has been stolen from consumers nationwide since January alone.

The Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is currently investigating the theft of consumer pre-need money in Vivian and Lake Charles, with total losses perhaps exceeding $500,000.

Rep. Hollis Downs gave up on his bill aimed at eliminating small-town "speed traps."

The bill would have put a cap on the money municipalities could raise by catching speeders: towns with populations less than 3,000 would be allowed to keep up to 20 percent of speeding-ticket revenue. The rest of the money would go to the state, for police training courses.

The House Transportation Committee rejected House Bill 1329, but Downs revived it by moving it to another panel that he thought would be more sympathetic.

But Downs misjudged the House Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee.

Downs, R-Ruston, pulled the measure before it came up for a vote, recognizing he couldn’t get it passed because of opposition from small-town police chiefs and mayors, who denied they run speed traps and said the proposal would impair their ability to keep roads safe from reckless drivers.

-- From staff and wire reports

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